About the Artist: Rachael Arianna Van Tassel

﻿With a master's degree in art therapy, Rachael has been witness to the healing aspect of art and the sharing of stories. She wants now to bring this hope of healing to the greater community and create opportunities to truly see each other in a world of words and text messages. Through art, we have the opportunity to capture our stories and pass them down through generations. Each work reflects Rachael's growing understanding of the expressiveness of the personal human experience, evoking thought and emotion through light and content of imagery.

To capture an image in the community series, Rachael interviews a person in casual conversation, seeking the depths of the person's unique journey in life. Keeping the person involved in the process, Rachael discusses aspects of the journey she would like to capture, how this can be accomplished so that it is meaningful to the person, and then begins taking pictures. A camera in one hand and a light in the other, Rachael seeks out the light to capture the emotions and content that she wants the viewer to experience. Finally, Rachael recreates the image to larger scale using her media of choice: conte crayon. The finished piece invites the viewer in to look below the surface and enter into closer fellowship with that person.

Rachael's goal is to help communities grow closer to one another and heal their hearts through sharing. We often feel that we are going through life alone, when the greatest support might be found in our own back yard.﻿